Guest

Barbara Franklin: Her Cart Runneth Over

By
The 700 Club

CBN.com
 SHIFTING HER FOCUS
With a background in community assistance, reaching out and helping people had always been a part of Barbara Franklin. But it wasn’t until she lost her corporate job in 2000 that Barbara began to question her purpose in life. Her unemployment came shortly after the events of September 11, 2001. “I remember listening to a Christian radio show when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt like helping people, particularly the plight of people in the inner city, was my call in life,” says Barbara.

COUPONS HELP FEED THE HUNGRY She began using coupons in combination with her own money to buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for less than most people pay for a single meal at a fast-food chain. "[Once] my bill was $187, but when I finished [using coupons], I paid $3.02," she says. She began passing out the food to the less fortunate members of her community from the trunk of her car, but when the demand outgrew her small Kia, she asked for the help of her church, Creech Temple United Holiness Church. The pastor allowed Barbara to set up the food pantry operation in the basement of the church. Church members agreed to help her organize the effort by categorizing the food, clipping coupons and helping Barbara stock up on more groceries. "We would go into the stores every Sunday, and we would wipe out the shelves," Barbara says. The Food Bank started out helping 10 families, which grew to 100 and then 1,000. Now, Barbara manages a food pantry that feeds 1,500 families a month!

For more information on Barbara or how to get big savings at the grocery store, read our factsheet -- Cash In with Coupons.